A Cheshire East Council report says that implementing AI could save it up to £60m over 3 years, with annual savings of up to £14m after that.
The internal report calls on the Council’s Corporate Policy Committee to agree to a Digital Acceleration Programme to “improve service delivery, and ensure long-term sustainability” in the face of “ pressing demographic and financial challenges.”
It pointed to an initial AI assessment looking at Cheshire East’s adult social care, children’s services and customer service delivery had “projected financial benefits of £40m to £60m over a three-year period.”
Specifically it examined the installation of an AI CoPilot system to provide round-the-clock support in multiple languages, handling routine enquiries and pointing people to appropriate Council services.
Also installing AI solutions for adult social care to “streamline care needs evaluations and support planning, reducing administrative backlogs and improving data accuracy.”
Finally AI-supported workflows to enhance the Educational Health and Care Plan (ECPH) process, “improving the quality of support planning and reducing waiting times for families. The workflows also help identify cost-effective support packages, reducing reliance on expensive residential placements.”
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Put forward by Adele Taylor, Interim Executive Director of Resources, it added that “these areas align with the Council’s Corporate Plan and its vision of ‘enabling prosperity and wellbeing for all in Cheshire East.’”
In order to implement the Programme, the council would have to employ a third party specialist. The report recommended putting out a tender for a 3 year contract period, with 2 x 1 year extensions via the Crown Commercial Services Framework. This would be to help the council to design, deliver and set-up the AI Platform and Framework.
It comes as the council faces “significant” challenges, including increased demand for social care services and a projected £100m budget gap over 4 years.
There’s been a rising demand for adult and children’s social care services, which has contributed to the budget gap. In December 2024, the Council forecasted a £26m overspend. The Adult Social Care directorate, makes up approximately 62% of the overall council budget.
It has also seen the demand for Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) requests double in 6 months.
